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Thursday, June 29, 2017

We headed to Utah last week to attend our newest grandson, Owen's, baby blessing (kind of like a christening). We decided to give ourselves a week so we had time to play with grandkids and visit with our older children.

Our first whole day we spent just hanging with David and Sariah's kids.

Sometimes it just nice to relax and read a book together.

And, just share a little love!!

We had some laughs playing the barnyard game.

Spencer showed off his culinary skills with some yummy made-to-order grilled cheese sandwiches.

It was fun to watch him!

The finished product and it comes with a smile!

Later that day we headed to West Jordan to see John, Amy, and their boys. Grandpa got to meet little Owen for the first time.

Callan is an awesome big brother.

Callan and Aiden had fun at a splash pad while the adults chatted about life.

Friday was a fun day. We went to Mount Nebo where we drove the loop trail, found a cool little wheelchair accessible hike and a Payson Lakes!

This is Devil's Kitchen, it is like a mini Bryce Canyon.

Some people do NOT like their picture taken!

Cutie Joanna, had fun finding painted rocks.

My hiking buddies, Joanna and Leah!

I always enjoy the flora!

I love beautiful mountain lakes with green trees around.

Spencer enjoying the sunshine.

Should they jump in or not?

Of course!!

Callan was my hiking buddy on a walk around the lake.

What a funny crooked tree.

Andrew brought his cool hammock. It was very comfy!

Friday was a busy day. After our trip to the mountain we went to a Lego exhibit at UVU.

We saw some cool things built with lego's, like this aircraft carrier.

Complete with sailors.

And a waving American flag.

There even was a lego picture of the Christus made completely out of Lego's.

This is the famous Rainbow Road from Mario Cart.

We all went out to dinner at Good Thyme Eatery in Provo. It was yummy and these two sillies had fun!

Saturday, Mike and I started the day at the Provo Temple with David and Sarah. It is a beautiful temple. We wish we lived this close to a temple and could go more often.

That evening we went on a date with David and Sarah and had some fun laughs at Dry Bar Comedy!

Sunday was Owen's blessing day. I was able to sit in church with some of my grandchildren. A rare but delightful event!

Uncle Evan and Owen.

Sweet sleeping baby Owen.

Monday morning was time to head home. As we drove through Cedar City, the new Cedar City Temple up on the hill beaconed us closer. We had a little adventure finding it. It is still under construction, but looks beautiful. I love the dome on the tower.

We took a little break to visit Kolob Canyon, the northwestern part of Zion Canyon National Park! It was incredibly beautiful. I don't know why we never visited before.

This canyon was just calling to me to explore, but it was very hot and not accessible so will have to wait until another time!

We decided to spend an extra night in Las Vegas on the way home to visit with one of our favorite people, Aunt Delma! She is just delightful!

We decided to drive up to Mount Charleston to give Aunt Delma a break from the over 100 degree temperature of Las Vegas.

We enjoy the 80 degree sunny weather and the beautiful trees and rock formations.

And of course the company was fun. Aunt Delma has lots of great stories to tell. There are times I look at her and just see and hear my sweet mother-in-law Viola, her older sister. We all miss her!

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Sometimes, life goes uphill. And. It. Is. Hard. Our uphill travels bring us strength. And, sometimes we only get strong when we do the hard part by ourself.

Last evening we went to the Grover Beach boardwalk. It is one of our favorite places to take a stroll especially on warm summer evenings. There is a rather big incline that Evan likes to do all by himself. Sometimes people look at us, like we are the meanest people in the world, because we don't help Evan up the hill. We don't help him because he wants to do it by himself. He knows it helps him get strong muscles. Sometimes, people just encourage him and say, "Great job! You can do it!" Usually, I walk backwards facing him, and chat with Evan as he rolls his way up hill and Mike is usually trailing behind him.

Do you see that man in the blue hoodie down there talking to Mike? Well, he stopped and said to Evan, "Do you need some help?" And before Evan could answer he said, "Oh, I see what is going on. You must be strong willed. I see what you are doing. That is the most touching thing I have seen!" He was surprisingly very emotional about it. He said. "I really want to help you, but I see you need to do this!" Mike stopped and talked to the man for a while and Evan and I just kept going to the top! And then what a view!

Life is that way too! There are hills to climb, some are very tough. We need to continue our uphill battles to get strength. We meet people along the way, sometimes they really want to help, but they know we will only gain the strength as we work things through on our own. But, we are really never alone. There are people here to encourage us. Sometimes, it's parents, sometimes friends and sometimes just strangers!